In the last, rootless decade families, neighborhoods, and communities have
disintegrated in the face of gripping social, economic, and technological changes. This
process has had mixed results. On the positive side, it has produced a mobile, volatile,
and dynamic society in the United States that is perhaps more open, just, and creative
than ever before. On the negative side, it has dissolved the glue that bound our society
together and has destroyed many of the myths, symbols, values, and beliefs that provided
social direction and purpose. In A History of the Polish Americans, John J. Bukowczyk
provides a thorough account of the Polish experience in America and how some cultural
bonds loosened, as well as the ways in which others persisted.
Following a chronological format, Bukowczyk explains the historical reasons that led
Polish people to come to America, the experience of the first wave of immigrants, the
identity problem of second-generation Poles, and the kind of organizations and
institutions that Polonia established in America. Throughout the author wrestles with the
question faced by all immigrant groups: What does it mean to be a hyphenated American? And
more specifically: What does it mean to be a Polish-American?
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Transaction Edition xi
Preface xxxvii
Pronunciation of Polish Names xli
From Hunger, "for Bread": Rural Poland in the Throes of
Change 1
To Field, Mine, and Factory: Work and Family in Polish
America 16
Hands Clasped, Fists Clenched: Unity and Strife in the Immigrant
Community 34
Continuity and Change in the 19205 and 19308: From Polish to
Polish-American 65
The Decline of the Urban Ethnic Enclave: Polish America Transformed, WW
Il-Present 85
What Is a Polish-American? The Revival of Ethnic Identity 105
Vanguard or Rearguard? Ethnic Politics in Mass Society 125
Epilogue: Polish-American Ethnicity-Its Meaning and Its
Future 143
Bibliographical Essay 147
Notes 173
Index 181
236 pages, Paperback